Ambush – Fuss-free and Good Italian Food

One of my favourite places for pasta is Ambush. It is tucked within the gourmet section of the Takashimaya basement food court. Not only are the pastas affordable, they are super yummy too. In particular the seafood dishes, which I have a soft spot for.

I like to call this the Japanese pasta place because the menu consists of several Japanese-inspired dishes. Dining here is pretty much fuss-free. You queue up to make your order while the waitstaff find you a table. There is no service charge.

Clam chowder
S$3+
Rating:

The clam chowder is pretty bland although the taste of the clams do come through.

Seafood Paella
S$10.80+
Rating:

The baked seafood risotto fares slightly better. They call it the seafood paella because it is served in a paella (large, shallow frying pan), although it should not be confused with the Spanish rice dish that goes by the same name. This arrives with juicy prawns, mussels and squid.

Slipper lobster spaghetti in Arrabiata sauce
S$13.80+
Rating:

Being a big fan of crayfish pasta, I find the slipper lobster spaghetti in Arrabiata sauce! It is perfect, and comes with a generous amount of crayfish! Look!

I don’t think I have ever had that much crayfish in a single dish before! For almost the same price, I certainly get much less for the crayfish pasta at the Pastamania restaurants! To top it all, the shellfish flesh is extremely tender.

I slurped down every last bit of the delicious arrabiata (spicy tomato sauce) sauce almost without looking up once. Hahaha I had no complaints!

Swedish meat ball linguini in Marinara
S$6.80+
Rating:

The Swedish meat ball linguini in Marinara (tomato sauce) reminds me of the popular meat ball dish from IKEA, as well as the spaghetti ice cream from Icekimo.

The Marinara sauce tastes almost exactly like the arrabiata sauce, just without the spice.

Ahhh… Can’t wait to have more of that crayfish goodness! There are many more dishes that seem interesting too, such as the cod fish in Rustico sauce, wild salmon fillet in Thai basil sauce, and queen scallop in wasabi mayonnaise. Whoa, yumminess overload!

It was a great meal nonetheless. The meat balls were tender and pretty juicy – we shared one remember? :D The meat balls are a mixture of both pork and beef so it didn’t have the strong aftertaste of beef.

I liked the clam chowder actually – not too salty & just the right consistency in the broth. Goes down easily.

Thanks for clarifying the “broth” bit. I have amended my post to reflect that. Coincidentally whilst typing this review, I had deliberated over the choice of words. Decided to go with “broth” over “cream soup”. But now I have reverted to my second choice.

Oh, I love mussels and clams! They are fine! But I have to say no-no to the rest too.

The paella just doesn’t look like a reall paella at all (or at least the ones I had in Spain). On the picture you put, the dish looks quite creamy instead of dry and yellowish, and it has melted cheese on it !! – so weird for a paella – (I may be mistaken though)…I wonder why they call actually call it a paella :-P

I don’t want to get going on Japanese “spaghetti” — suffice it to say that it is a universal disgrace, abomination and unmitigated travesty.

You DON’T F______ FRY spaghetti!

I’ll say that again.

You DON’T F______ FRY spaghetti!

This stuff looks suspect to me.

‘Crawfish’ sound intriguing.

Now Ms Sparklette, when you come to Kyoto I am going to take you to my friend’s Italian restaurant. He even owns a vineyard in Italy. His pasta dishes have a twist, but it is not a grotesque one. His dishes are made with Kyo-yasai (Kyoto vegetables).

Now why do vegetables grown in Kyoto taste better? I’ll tell you AFTER dinner.

Wow, the crayfish pasta really looks yummy, will try that the next time I’m @ Taka. I think there’s a lack of good food in Orchard, all overpriced and overrated. I wouldn’t mind you “dragging” me to a meal! All the good food you cover *drool*…